Angels' Garrett Richards: Solid in final instructional league outing

Richards (elbow) threw four scoreless innings in his final instructional league outing Thursday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Analysis:

The outing was ended before the final out in the fourth was recorded, but it was still an encouraging step for Richards, who struck out five while allowing just three hits. There were fears that the former first-round pick would need to undergo Tommy John surgery after tearing his UCL in May, but Richards was able to reach 95 miles per hour with his fastball and said he has "passed every test" in regards to the health of his elbow. This bodes well for Richards being able to begin the 2017 season as a part of the Angels' rotation.